Frank Barrett's Travelog

Almost ten years ago I took one of the first trips through the Channel Tunnel on the car train then known as Le Shuttle (a name that was eventuallydropped for sounding too French).

Though still some six weeks away from its official inauguration on November 16, 1994, the Folkestone-to-Calais shuttle service worked flawlessly.

And it still does - I've used it two or three times a year ever since and I've never suffered a delay.

While I've been a huge fan of the Channel Tunnel shuttle from the off, I've sensed that my joy is not universally shared.

'Claustrophobic' is one criticism I hear a lot. Others say they prefer a car ferry on which they can wander around and have a meal.

Well, I've always liked Eurotunnel for its sheer drive-on, drive-off simplicity and if I want a meal or a walk, I'll stop en route in France.

And it seems more and more people are coming round to my point of view.

P&O Ferries' announcement last week that it is dramatically scaling down its cross-Channel ferry operation - reducing its fleet from 31 to 23 and closing four of its 13 routes with a possible loss of 1,200 jobs - reflects a substantial shift in Channel travel patterns.

The downturn in ferry traffic has been blamed on the growth of budget airlines.

However, this seems unlikely - getting a cheap flight on Ryanair or easyJet is no real alternative to taking your car to France as they're two quite separate markets.

Certainly the fall in the value of the pound against the euro has had a significant effect - but even with a strong euro, booze prices in France are still very attractive.

The more significant reason is that Eurotunnel is beginning to win over the British public.

It may have taken ten years but finally we are all learning to love that big hole in the ground.

Moral dilemma over visas

Reader Tim Walden was travelling to Washington last month and took time to study the green-coloured Visa Waiver form you are given to complete on the aircraft - that list of questions which includes an inquiry as to whether you appeared at the Nuremberg War Trials and whether you are planning to overthrow the US State.

Mr Walden says the key question vexing readers with a criminal record is phrased as follows: 'Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offence or crime involving moral turpitude?'

Mr Walden wonders how you define a crime of 'moral turpitude'. Well, whatever it is, you're expected to declare it when you apply for a visa at the US embassy in London.

The Embassy admits that it shares no records with the British Home Office. However, the stakes are high.

If you fail to declare your criminal record and are found out, you could be banned for life from travelling to America.